Alverno to Host Japanese Visitors

The students of will host Japanese students on Monday from their sister school in Tokyo, Uekusa Bunka Girls High School, to honor the first anniversary of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that swept over Northern Japan last March.

Each of the 80 visitors will be paired up with a student from Alverno. The students are expected to learn about each other’s cultures, with the Japanese students giving demonstrations in calligraphy, origami, traditional archery and women’s martial arts. The girls will also exchange gifts, give classroom tours and partake in a prayer service for victims of the earthquake and tsunami.

Students from both schools will sign an Alverno flag that the Uekusa Bunka students will take back to Japan to share with their school.

“Alverno places an important emphasis on service and I am proud to see that our students have been affected by the devastation of the earthquake last year and are planning to honor the victims with our visitors,” said Ann Gillick, Head of School. “Our friendship and relationship with the Uekusa Bunka Girls High School has been unwavering for nearly a decade and it will be a pleasure to welcome them back to our campus and continue to enjoy their friendship. I hope they will enjoy the time they spend with us and feel the support of the Alverno community as we approach the one-year anniversary of this tragedy.”

The girls of Uekusa Bunka have been visiting Alverno for the past nine years.

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